Thermal management systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration systems are heavy and power-intensive, making them impractical for mobile platforms and applications requiring precise temperature control of high heat flux, temperature-sensitive loads.
Innovation Solution
The development of open circuit refrigeration systems with an ejector and liquid separator, which recirculate refrigerant to reduce mass flow rate demand and energy consumption, using a recuperative heat exchanger to precool refrigerant liquid and an evaporator to stabilize temperature within a narrow range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional closed circuit refrigeration systems are used, then cooling capability is achieved, but system weight and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the heavy compressor and condenser components from the refrigeration system, transitioning from a closed circuit to an open circuit configuration. This extraction eliminates the need for mechanical compression while maintaining cooling functionality through evaporative refrigeration, directly resolving the weight contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical compression system with a thermodynamic evaporation-based cooling system. Instead of using a mechanical compressor to circulate and compress refrigerant, the system uses phase change and heat transfer principles to achieve cooling, eliminating heavy mechanical components while preserving cooling capability.
2Temperature
If conventional closed circuit refrigeration systems are used, then cooling capability is achieved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the energy-intensive mechanical compression system with a passive thermodynamic system based on evaporative cooling. This substitution eliminates the need for high-power compressors and condensers, dramatically reducing power consumption while maintaining effective cooling capability through phase change heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of the refrigerant (liquid to vapor evaporation) as the core cooling mechanism. By leveraging the latent heat absorption during phase change, the system achieves efficient cooling without requiring mechanical compression, thereby reducing power consumption significantly.
3Duration of action of moving object
If receiver size is increased to extend operation duration, then operating period increases, but system volume and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous refrigerant recirculation through the evaporator, ensuring that the refrigerant continuously absorbs heat and undergoes phase change. This continuous action maximizes the utilization of the refrigerant charge in the receiver, extending the operating period without requiring a larger receiver volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers and recirculates the refrigerant vapor back to the evaporator after it exits, rather than discarding it. This recovery process maintains the refrigerant charge efficiency, allowing the system to operate longer on the same refrigerant volume, thus extending operating duration without increasing receiver size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the size, weight, and power consumption of refrigeration systems while effectively cooling high heat flux loads with precise temperature control, suitable for mobile platforms and sensitive electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
a recuperative heat exchanger that has a first fluid path that receives the refrigerant fluid from the receiver and a second fluid path that provides thermal contact between refrigerant leaving the receiver through an outlet and refrigerant vapor passed into the recuperative heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator configured to extract heat from a heat load that contacts the evaporator
Implementation Method 3
an ejector having a primary flow inlet configured to receive the refrigerant fluid from the recuperative heat exchanger
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal management system is described. The thermal management system includes an open circuit refrigeration circuit that has a refrigerant fluid flow path, with the refrigerant fluid flow path including a receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid, an ejector having a primary flow inlet configured to receive refrigerant, a liquid separator, an evaporator configured to extract heat from a heat load that contacts the evaporator, with the evaporator coupled to the ejector and the liquid separator, and an exhaust line coupled to a vapor side outlet of the liquid separator. In operation, the evaporator in the open circuit refrigeration circuit would be coupled to a heat load.